Family stories

I didn't want the last entry to get too long (heh, heh...) but I want to get these down before I forgot.

My grandfather

I never met my paternal grandparents. They died before, or shortly after, I was born, I don't recall. This is purely secondhand, but the force is stron... er, the "McCann personality" apparently breeds very true.

See, my grandfather was in charge of some of the municipal "stuff" in South Milwaukee. I don't know just what his title was or job was, but apparently he took care of things like the fire hydrants and garbage cans. No, not a trash collector... let me explain.

He had a clever way of taking care of problems. At one point, the fire hydrants needed to be repainted - typical maintenance. At the time (50s, perhaps?) this would have cost $3000 to do.

Well, my grandfather had a contest, with a few categories, for the residents to decorate the fire hydrants - most artistic, funniest, most unusual, six categories with $50 prizes.

All the fire hydrants got repainted, all in their own unique ways. They gave that bit of the city its own look, got the community involved (and having fun,) and saved money. That, grandpa, is a win... Even hearing about it decades later, I'm impressed.

Also... garbage cans. This, apparently, told my mom everything she needed to know about my grandpa. She came into town from Missouri. Every garbage can was painted a different color - with "Why doesn't anybody use me?" stenciled on each and every one (as one word, apparently, though that may just have been stencil spacing.) Yep, colorful, somewhat humorous *garbage cans.*

I wish I'd gotten to meet you. Maybe next time 'round?

Though, it seems we have another trait in common. He didn't like to go out, didn't take some things that were offered to him (chance for better housing or whatnot) - unfortunately it affected my grandmother (I think he married twice, actually) as they never went out. He always had an excuse - not least being that people wouldn't leave him in peace if they went to dinner or whatever, wanting some political favor or other. Still... well, I'm a bit of a homebody too. And after his second (?) wife died... he closed in even more.

Having recently (well, coming on two years) divorced... I can kind of understand that, too. Still... he, too, did a decent job with my dad, aunts and uncles. I can't think of a bad one in the bunch - even if many have passed (like you, aunt Bev.)



He had some words for my dad at one point. See, I'm the youngest by a decade or so. My three brothers and my sister were born one right after the other. (Lots of big families - we were probably the second *smallest,* with my Uncle Pat and Aunt Maryann the smallest with just two daughters.) Regardless... four kids makes for a busy mom, and the kitchen, well...

Apparently my grandpa came to visit my mom and dad while she was busy scrubbing, trying to keep ahead in the kitchen. My dad was also home - and my grandpa esesntially told him "She's taking care of these kids and making food, you get down and scrub her floors!" My mom, laughing, agreed of course... As she put it, "It's something he (my dad) would conveniently forget, or deny, when it was brought up later."

(Busted, dad?)

He had a few for my uncle, too. See, Uncle Pat's the youngest of his family. In any case, he brought the girl (who would eventually be his wife, my aunt) home at one point, and my grandpa took an instant liking to her. (With her personality, smile, and laugh, it's hard not to.) He took my uncle aside and asked, "What are your intentions toward this young lady?"

Yes. His father. Not my aunt's father...

My uncle, telling this, just gets this half grin on his face... "Well, I was a young man, so, you know, wink, only ring I planned for anyone to get from me (my uncle) was one around their tub." I doubt he said that to his father, but the idea gets across. My grandpa told him "You marry that girl, today if you have to. Don't let her get away."

They've been married for ... 30-some years? High 30s?

Guess he knew what he was talking about.

My grandmother

I know even less about my dad's mom - or stepmom. I really don't have the timing down on this... and the only things I really hear from my mom about it were how she made her feel welcome, part of the family, and that she was a loving woman - and that she asked, specifically, for my mother when she was dying - and when she saw my mom's reaction, told my dad to take her out of the room so she wouldn't remember her like she was, sick in bed... not to be cruel, but kind...

She, I wish I'd known too.